The glow from Chris Kreider’s performance in Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes, one that pushed the New York Rangers into the Eastern Conference Final in a hail of third-period goals that will be etched in franchise lore, won’t fade until the Blueshirts open their next series against the Florida Panthers.
Lurking in the shadows, however, are defensive concerns that, if not corrected, threaten to prevent many more big moments in these playoffs – and will undercut the Rangers’ quest to raise the Stanley Cup for the first time in 30 years.
Kreider’s natural hat trick in a nine-minute span of the third that rallied the Blueshirts from a 3-1 deficit to a 5-3 win May 16 stands as one of those seminal occurrences that championship teams pull off on their run to a title. The hard truth, though, is that the Rangers were more than a little lucky be in position for Kreider’s three-goal burst to matter after they showed serious cracks defensively for the two games and two periods that followed the Rangers grabbing a 3-0 series lead.
With the Rangers still down two goals in Game 6, there were two hit posts behind Igor Shesterkin, those coming on glorious chances from in close. There was a break-in by Sebastian Aho on which he somehow missed the net altogether. Jordan Staal was then all alone with the puck in front, with Shesterkin making a brilliant save. Any of the three plays could have given the Hurricanes a three-goal lead in the third. And finally, there was Andrei Svechnikov taking advantage of an incomprehensible breakdown off a faceoff to nearly tie it with under three minutes remaining, only to be stoned by Shesterkin on another incredible stop.
Rangers’ Season Was in Danger Before Kreider Took Over Third Period
That’s not to mention a number of other Grade-A scoring chances against. Yet the Rangers survived and advanced, thanks to Shesterkin. The surviving part, however, was the prevailing theme, and chances are that that won’t fly when the competition gets even tougher in the next round that starts May 22.
The issues surfaced in Game 4, when the Blueshirts’ sloppy, unfocused start resulted in a 3-1 first-period deficit en route to a 4-3 loss. A nightmarish third period in Game 5, in which the Hurricanes scored four goals in an eventual 4-1 victory, was marked by…
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